Niche in the market?

[[153312]]

Do people think there is a niche in the market as it were for vets specialising in small mammals and exotics - from more common things to rabbits and guinea pigs and hamsters etc to more exotic things like duprasi/dormice, chinchillas, hedgehogs, sugar gliders etc.?
Just a musing.

 

[TheMule]

There are lots of specialist vets- the RCVS has a search function that allows you to search by each specific species of animal.

 

[SilverLinings]

Probably, but I expect they'd have to cover quite a large catchment area to have a viable business. Friends of mine with exotics or small animals are prepared to travel to see a good vet for their species, but I think that unfortunately a lot of owners of small mammals in particular (although this can apply to anything you can buy for <£100 and keep in a cage) either don't think their animal need to see a vet and/or aren't prepared to pay for it. Sadly (appallingly) I think a lot of the small animals that are cheap and/or easy to buy (rabbits, hamsters etc) are seen as disposable by their owners, and/or the owners are incapable of recognising pain or suffering in them.

Short version: it's a good idea, but may be difficult to make financially viable!

ETA there are already vets doing this, but are usually based in a small animal practice where a lot of the work is cats and dogs.

 

[Baywonder]

We had problems finding a vet who could trim our hamsters teeth. They had worn unevenly and it was getting difficult for him to eat properly. There were only a couple of vets within our practice who were happy to do this, and we had to travel to a branch quite a distance away from us.

It took a sniff of GA to put him out, his teeth were trimmed and he was woken up. From leaving the consulting room to being called back in to collect him, it took 15 minutes. The cost? Just shy of £90. ?

 

[milliepops]

Yeah I'd agree, unfortunately I know people who don't look after their small furries with anything like the care their dog or cat gets

I'd also expect them to need to cover a large area tho it works alright for equine vets, mine cover a huge area and its easier to travel smaller critters in most cases?

 

[Maddie Moo]

There are lots of specialist vets- the RCVS has a search function that allows you to search by each specific species of animal.

Yep this - rabbits are technically classed as exotics due to their complex needs (a fact I wish more people would realise but that’s a whole other debate) which is why mine only see a rabbit specialist vet. I’m lucky enough there is also an exotics out of hour vets here who are exceptionally good with rabbit emergencies when my vets aren’t available.

 

[Redders]

I want to own a practice that does just that. Specialising in anything non cat/dog/horse/farm. Thing is you have the clients who are savvy and want to do the same for the exotic pets as people would do a cat/dog and expect the same level of care etc (I LOVE these clients), but you also get the ones who picked up one of these marvellous critters at Pets at Home (or any other number of pet shops -shudder) for circa £30 and bemoan the cost of the cage they bought when they request PTS because it’s ‘just a hamster/rabbit/bearded dragon/corn snake/budgie etc etc etc. These make me very sad. Add to that that the care advice given from every pet shop I have seen exotic pets sold from when they come to me have given completely incorrect care advice, resulting in suffering. Ugh it’s just not a pretty picture.
so you really need some bread and butter clients (routine preventative care, ‘regular’ pets, clients who are interested in doing even low level investigations to look for a diagnosis or even willing to pay for pragmatic trial treatment) in order to turn a profit. I really want it to be viable as a sole business option, but I wouldn’t even break even after a year after initial investment and would have to sell up.
I dream of it though. I work where we see all small animals and have a 24 hospital, and we have an exotics department, we take referrals for exotics, it works well.

 

[Redders]

As an aside, I saw a meerkat a few months ago. Poor thing was in an horrendous state. Had been ‘rescued’ which actually meant she had been bought on gumtree from an unsuitable home, and actually the person who brought her to me worked with conservation charities and did undergo the correct treatment for the little lady, so luckily she landed on her feet, but could have been a totally different story.
And you know, it is actually legal to own Meerkats in a private home? They don’t have protection. Like many other species I guess. But anyone can go and buy a Meerkat and stick it in their garden/conservatory/shed/garage/en suite/attic legally. I know legislation has recently tightened up regarding housing and care for pets, but it relies on people reporting when they see something unsuitable and isn’t easy to police.

Drives me mad what animals go though because of humans. (Not all, some are amazing owners and guardians!)

 

[Baywonder]

We have spent a small fortune over the years for veterinary treatment of hamsters, Guinea pigs, budgies etc. It is part and parcel of owning an animal, regardless of it's size or how much it cost. Like all animals, the cheap part is buying it. The equipment, housing, food, vet bills, etc, etc is what costs the most, and unfortunately a lot of people can't or are unable to pay for this.

However, I did have to draw the line when my eldest was a toddler, and she accidentally killed a fly. She had a complete meltdown when I refused to take it to the vet.......???

 

[[153312]]

I want to own a practice that does just that. Specialising in anything non cat/dog/horse/farm. Thing is you have the clients who are savvy and want to do the same for the exotic pets as people would do a cat/dog and expect the same level of care etc (I LOVE these clients), but you also get the ones who picked up one of these marvellous critters at Pets at Home (or any other number of pet shops -shudder) for circa £30 and bemoan the cost of the cage they bought when they request PTS because it’s ‘just a hamster/rabbit/bearded dragon/corn snake/budgie etc etc etc. These make me very sad. Add to that that the care advice given from every pet shop I have seen exotic pets sold from when they come to me have given completely incorrect care advice, resulting in suffering. Ugh it’s just not a pretty picture.
so you really need some bread and butter clients (routine preventative care, ‘regular’ pets, clients who are interested in doing even low level investigations to look for a diagnosis or even willing to pay for pragmatic trial treatment) in order to turn a profit. I really want it to be viable as a sole business option, but I wouldn’t even break even after a year after initial investment and would have to sell up.
I dream of it though. I work where we see all small animals and have a 24 hospital, and we have an exotics department, we take referrals for exotics, it works well.

this is what I am thinking about doing....I am currently doing a biology degree and you can do fast track vet med afterwards. Finding exotic pet vet care is far too hard imho. I have a fish/snail vet now who somehow makes it work though but he doesn't seem mammals.
One rather memorable occasion, having tried 3 separate practices within the county for one of my chinchillas, I went to my rabbit vet in desperation. They said they didn't have the expertise to help but if I told them what I thought the animal needed, they'd give it to me free of charge. I got medication and syringe feed and he's fine now, we just never found out what actually went wrong. (They probably shouldn't have done that lol but I'm seriously glad they did.)

 

[Redders]

The things to look for when looking for a vet to look at anything non cat dog is to check if they have a CertAVP in exotic species (covers all exotic species/types etc, have to do post grad study and exams) or are a Recognised Specialist (protected term, have to do a long residency, exams etc, and have to publish regularly, think yearly or three yearly but I forget). Any CertAVP or specialist I’m exotic species would be capable and have the knowledge to treat chinchillas. General Practice vets (who are awesome) may express a particular interest in a couple species and do CPD in those but not others, that may be the category where your rabbit vet falls
you are right that there aren’t enough and it’s hard to find the right care. Your fish vet may do it on a smaller scale self employed basis, using a local practice for lab work or diagnostics, I know of some other specialists that do this, but actually running an entire building with all the equipment required and staff to run it I don’t think I could manage on just an exotic basis. It just costs sooooo much to run an actual practice, utilities, kit, staff costs, insurances, registration etc etc. If he has managed to set it up then I applaud him and want his secrets. I wish I could do it, but I think the only way would be for me to be a sole practitioner on a 24/7 on call no time off basis, maybe one support staff member, and set it up in my garage! Except I can’t actually afford a house with a garage right now ? and I also need to eat.
there are vets out there, not enough, but then there aren’t enough of any type of vet currently. I am a GP vet with a particular interest in all exotic species and am lucky enough to have done a lot of my placements with exotic specialists, I plan to start a Cert AVP in the next 12 months. If you plan to go down the exotic route, just prepare for a lot of heartbreak. Cat/dog/horse/farm is heartbreaking enough, but the amount of suffering I see with exotics is awful, and most of it is ignorance. Not intentional, just had the wrong advice from the start.

 

[scats]

I’m lucky in that our local vets have a Guinea pig expert. They are classed as exotics. I know that my friend has real problems finding vets who are any good with rats (and my god, rats get ill a lot!)

I put a hamster through surgery once. She was only a few months old and got a massive tumour. Operation cost me £120 but she bounced back and lived til she was 2 and a half.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I'd certainly like to see more vets qualified in this area but mostly I'd like to see more properly qualified AVIAN vets...there are just not enough around at all

 

[Widgeon]

....there are already vets doing this, but are usually based in a small animal practice where a lot of the work is cats and dogs.

Around us there is one local (general small animal) practice with several specialists in things like avian and rabbits, so when we have a sick rabbit and it's not obvious to our own vets what's wrong, then I ask to be referred to them. Our vets have always been fine with this. We're lucky to be relatively close to the specialist practice though, I'd be worried if we were any further away. So far as I know they're the only particularly knowledgable rabbit vets in our area (with no offence meant to our regular vets, of course).

 

[Griffin]

There is a specialist cat, rabbit and small animal vet about 15 miles away, which I would use if I had a complex problem. I think people go to them from quite a distance. On a day to day basis, my local vets are very good with small animals. I have spent thousands over the years on my little pets but they deserve the same level of care as any pet.

 

[Equi]

N. I. Could use one. I lost a budgie and a chicken because the vets simply didn’t know/care enough to help them. The budgie died after being given stuff for a pigeon and the vet said “oh I didn’t know that would be toxic to a budgie I just thought it was like any bird” but I didn’t know any better because I am not a vet. When I took the chicken in they looked at me like I had three heads in a “why are you treating a chicken…” way. I know plenty of friends who’ve lost rabbits/piggies because vets just don’t know about them.

 

[BlackRider]

Yes - definitely need more of these, I've struggled to find a rabbit savvy vet after my practice closed down (health reasons).

Finding a vet for an african pygny hedgehog was a bit challenging too.

As an aside, there is a mobile vet near me that has a van kitted out for minor ops, and works solely from that - doing home visits. They also have an agreement for OOH cover with a large practice. I don't know how viable this is? They seem to have 1 member of staff who deals with bookings/finance etc.